


R E G R E T S

by TitanFodder



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-27
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-03-26 01:25:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 8,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3831976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TitanFodder/pseuds/TitanFodder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren decides not to show up for his date with Armin. And Armin is determined to make him sorry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Eren fixed the ends of his jacket sleeves over his hands, the air inside his home being colder than it was outside, or so it seemed. He wasn’t quite sure if this was helping or not: He had a date with a guy he’d only talked to once before, and he was extremely nervous to say the least. It was a feeble attempt of his now, to keep himself warm without overheating himself at the same time, and his roommate Mikasa found it interesting.

“Who did you say you were going out with again?” Mikasa asked. She was strange, and did strange things for Eren definitely. Seeing as she’s been cross-dressing since the first day they got there just to be in the same dorm as him, it was a safe bet to say she’d do anything for him.

“Um, I think his name was Armin. Armin something… Alert… Arlert… Something like that.” Eren shivered and rubbed his arms as Mikasa, perfectly content, sat down on the couch with a bowl of Cheetos. She was ‘too good’ to eat them out of the bag like everyone else. “I met him the other day in class. I’m supposed to meet him in a half hour at The Rock for dinner but I really don’t know if I can stop sweating before then.”

Mikasa wasn’t an encouraging person. Where most people would have said “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she said…

“Don’t go then.” 

Eren pressed his lips into a firm line and thought about it. He was pretty sure it’d be okay: College relationships aren’t supposed to last, are they? And who would blame him? The weather was cold; maybe he had issues with cold. Like having a metal platelet in his hand that shrinks and expands with temperature change. Plus it wasn’t even a real date, was it? Two teenage boys eating at a really lame burger joint couldn’t possibly count. Either way he’d have an excuse.

“You’re right. I think I’ll just stay in for tonight. You want to order a couple pizzas?” Eren said, completely disregarding what was to happen next.

 

Armin, however, kept the date. Although he didn’t really want to go in without Eren, he sat in one of the back booths with a videogames in his hands, pretending as if he wasn’t waiting for anyone. He waited outside for a half an hour until he decided the outside was too cold for him, and then he was there for nearly an hour by himself, clicking away at the new Attack on Titan game. He thought about how the blonde in the game looked eerily like himself, and seemed to have many of the same ideals, when the waiter came by. The waiter didn’t look much older than Armin: About five years looked to be the difference between the two. Even though he was older, he was still youthful. With him he carried a tray with a large blue cup on it. 

“Stood up, huh?” He sighed sadly.

Armin flinched. “You can tell?”

“Yeah…” The waiter set another Pepsi down in front of him. “I’ve worked here for nearly four years. I learned to read people.” 

“Oh…” Armin paused his game to avoid dying and looked up at him. “I’m probably gonna get going now actually. No sense hanging around here anymore.” He set a ten on the table for a tip. The waiter, he thought, honestly deserved a big tip. 

“You sure you should leave right now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, it’s going to sound odd, but…” The waiter set the tray down on the table, pretending not to notice the tip the other left. “I didn’t hear any metal in your pockets when you came in. It’s a safe bet you don’t have any keys, therefore it’s a safe bet that you don’t have a vehicle.”

It was true. Armin just gapped slightly. 

“And the weather’s taking a turn for the worst. Probably going to be the first blizzard of winter this year. You shouldn’t be walking around in it.”

Armin sighed. “Well I don’t really have a roommate to rely on, so I walk everywhere. Even in winter. I think I can handle it.”

“Well kiddo I think you’ve had a rough night as is. My shift ends in about an hour and a half or so. I’ll drive you home then.” He took the bill from the other and picked up the ten on the table. “For now though, dinner’s on me and keep your tip for good luck.” He smiled.

Just as he was about to walk away, Armin grabbed his hand. 

“Oh, um, excuse me for asking, but I don’t think I got your name.” He said sheepishly.

The waiter smiled. “Oh, it’s Marco. Nice to meet you.”


	2. Chapter 2

Eren didn’t want to go to school. Armin would be there. And for some reason, the little blonde boy scared him. He didn’t know what his reaction would be, and he really didn’t want to. But for all his suffering, Eren was forcibly thrown in the trunk of Mikasa's car and taken to school anyway.

Once they got there, Mikasa got out of the driver’s seat and opened the trunk, looking down on the half-suffocated tangled mess of a roommate she had and frowned. “Here we are.” She then had to try to force him out of the trunk. And he really did put up a fight.

 

“I can’t believe you did that to me.” Eren rubbed his back, walking with the now-man Mikasa to class. 

“You forced me to.” She said in a low voice. 

They made their way into the school. Eren must not have been paying too close attention to where he was going, seeing as he accidentally bumped directly into Armin, knocking all his books and papers out of his hands in one fall swoop. 

“Oh gosh I’m- … Oh.” Armin looked up at Eren and frowned, restacking his papers and putting them into his folders.

“Here let me help.” Eren got down on his knees and grabbed a textbook, stacking it on another. Mikasa just walked away, knowing she’d be late for class if she waited for the idiot to finish.

Armin said almost nothing the entire time: Seeing Eren made him furious on the inside, but on the outside he remained reticent. The two of them then stood up, the halls being mostly empty as usual, and he looked at Eren sternly. “Thank you.”

Eren sighed. “Sorry about missing our date last night.” He spoke softly, in case the other might be vengeful. 

“It’s fine. I’m sure you had your reasons.” The blonde forced a small smile onto his face.

The brunette chuckled nervously, but slowly eased back into a comfortable stance. “So are we… are we good?”

“Yeah. No worries.” Armin smiled. “I have to get going to class now actually, and you should probably do the same.” He turned and started walking off down the hall. 

“Maybe we can reschedule our date?” Eren called after him. 

Armin stopped. “Don’t trouble yourself.” Then he walked out of sight.

 

Armin had been quietly stewing in the back of the classroom. Eren really had some nerve to act so casual around him, especially after he stood up Armin. And Armin was not one to let bygones be bygones. No, he was vengeful, and there was no way he was going to let the brunette get away without paying for what he did.

It would be easy. He had been watching Eren since ninth grade in high school, and knew how the other acted, and how to use it against him. And the one thing he knew for sure about Eren was that he would snap in half if any of his friends betrayed him. So the first thing to do would be to get on his good side.

Armin sunk down a little in his seat.

Revenge is a dish best served betrayed.


	3. Chapter 3

Eren doodled a small heart on the bottom of his paper and wrote Armin’s name on the inside. The vibes he received from the other weren’t good, but Eren really did feel bad about missing their date now. They were best friends, and it didn’t seem right.

The bell rang. 

And almost as soon as it rang Eren was rushing out the door, running towards Armin’s locker in the hopes of reaching him before he went back to the dorms. 

And of course, Armin was there, stacking his books.

If book stacking were a sport, Eren knew Armin would destroy his opponents. 

“Armin!” He screeched to a stop, sticking his foot in a vent at the bottom of a locker to stop himself.

Armin glanced up at him.

“Here,” Eren handed him the corner of his paper with a dorky smile. “Forgive me?”

Armin huffed with a small smile on his face. “Yeah, we’re cool.”

“We can try again if you want…” Eren leaned against the lockers as Armin handed him a bag to hold until he was done. “I promise I won’t break the date.” 

“Maybe.” Armin took the bag back and set it inside the locker, closing it and flipping the combination lock a couple times. “We can go out for lunch now that class is over if you’re free this afternoon.” 

“Yeah sounds good. You mind if Mikami comes with? He’s kind of my ride…” He said, using the name Mikami from Death Note as a cover for Mikasa. 

Armin quirked an eyebrow at him.

“I mean like drop us off and pick us up. Not sticking around.” Eren quickly corrected himself. 

“Oh. Yeah that’s fine.” He turned to walk and Eren did the same. “Mikami’s cool but something’s not right about him I think.”

Eren got nervous. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t really know honestly.” Armin sighed. “He’s cool. A little mean though.”

Eren sighed. “Yeah try living with him.” He held the other’s hand. 

They both chuckled quietly and left the sophomore hallway.

 

Mikasa drove like a maniac. Eren was used to it but Armin really wasn’t. His reaction when they reached the restaurant was priceless: He was shaky and a little skittish but other than that he was perfectly fine. Eren, however, just jumped out and shrugged it off, watching as Mikasa ditched them to go back to the dorm.

“You okay?” Eren pat the other’s back gently.

“Yeah, fine.” Armin shrugged the other’s arm off his back and stood up straight, fixing his hair and looking up at the sign on the building.

The Rock Café.

Armin sighed quietly to himself, letting his anger at the other refuel itself but not show itself. Part one of his plan was coming together. 

They stepped inside and picked a booth in the corner. Armin sat facing the rest of the room, his eyes searching for the freckled waiter that had served him yesterday. He would be the first to admit it: The waiter was truly a beautiful man. Really the word handsome or sexy didn’t fit. He was just beautiful. 

And of course, it was Marco who came to wait on them.

“Can I start you off with any drinks?” He smiled, looking down at Armin. “Oh, nice to see you again Armin.” 

“You remember my name?” Armin blinked.

“Yeah. I don’t forget people like you too easily.” He smiled. “You feeling any better from last night?”

Eren gave Armin a confused look and Armin just looked back up at Marco. “Yeah I’m fine now. No worries.”

Marco smiled. “That’s good.”

“Anyway I’d like a Pepsi please.” Armin smiled.

“I’ll take a diet coke. With crushed ice. And lime.” Eren folded his arms over the table gingerly. 

Armin wanted to make a spiteful remark about his drink choice. He was never satisfied with something just the way it was. He had to change it, add things to it and take things from it.

“Alrighty then.” The waiter left two menus on the table. “I’ll be right back, you guys can take a few minutes to decide what you’d like.”

As Marco walked away, Armin stared at him. Plan one: Don’t pay any attention to the Jaeger boy and stare at the waiter.


	4. Author's Note

I am SO sorry I haven't been on to update. Thank you all for your patience and kudos. I've been having a lot of trouble with this site in general and I think I might end up just deleting my account here and posting everything on my Quotev page instead (www.quotev.com/flameredlove). Anyway, I will be updating soon so please bear with me as I readjust.


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I feel so inspired to do a self-insert attack on titan fic right now! Anyone who’s interested can join, I’d like a name, age, gender, appearance and personality though if you wish to join. The story will start as an Attack on Titan themed party gone horribly wrong where the guests actually get sucked into the world of Attack on Titan! Anyone who wants to be a part of it can choose their regiment and their character friends (e.i. Eren, Marco, etc.). If you want a character romance I won’t judge but let’s try to not make it a romantic story please. Anyway I hope you’re going to enjoy this fic as I’m going to enjoy writing it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo sorry it's been so long since I've last updated, it's been so stressful lately. Anyway, 70 kudos?! I love you guys too~ I hope you enjoy this chapter, this is where things start to get intense~ Oh and please let me know if this lines up with the last chapter at all because I really couldn't remember where I left off and I have like no time to read it.

Armin was terrifyingly intelligent, but Eren didn’t know it. He was one of those kids who would judge based on first impressions, and his first impression of Armin was soft, shy and doable. Armin, however, studied him enough to know that he has a very low tolerance for certain things and got waspish when people did irritating things. So a little pain and confusion would be perfect for this plan of his to work.

He slumped back in his seat quietly and looked around for his freckled friend, the one who would unknowingly help him in his diabolical yet practical plan. And once he spotted him it was time to get started.

“So… I really am sorry I missed our date the other night.” Eren said, crossing his arms over the table. “It wasn’t really fair to you that I-“

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt the steel-toed part of the blonde’s boot hit him in the boniest, most sensitive part of his leg.

“Ow- fuck Armin what was that for?” He tried to keep his voice down as to not draw attention.

“Oh… I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that was yours, I thought it was the table’s leg.” Armin looked up at him with big puppy eyes and then back to Marco, who was wiping his forehead in between wiping the table clean across from them. The freckled man turned to leave into the backroom, and Armin, not knowing when the other would come back out again, knew he couldn’t miss his chance.

“It’s fine, just watch where you’re-“ He struck the other in the leg as hard as he could this time. “OW FOR GOD’S SAKE ARMIN STOP IT.” Eren, who was clearly pissed, kicked him right back, which brought some real tears of pain to Armin’s cheeks. He could dish it out, but he didn’t do well with taking it.

Everyone was looking at them now; the angry brown-haired boy and the hurt blonde one. Eren huffed, and stood up, saying calmly:

“I’m going to the bathroom.”

Eren couldn’t have moved any faster without it being considered a sprint to the bathroom to hide himself from the judge-filled eyes of the public. Marco watched him, holding a tray of drinks for a party of six towards the front of the room, where Eren was heading. 

“What are you looking at?” He kept his head down and walked past Marco.

Marco was soft; he didn’t like violence in the least bit and he knew Armin was hurt, seeing him hold his leg like a wounded animal. He set down the tray, and, once he realized Eren had disappeared, went up to Armin.

“Are you okay?” He kept his voice down in fear of the blonde boy’s date hearing him. 

Armin nodded ever so slowly, biting his lip and clenching his teeth to relieve the pain. “Yeah…”

Marco watched him in silence for a second or two, then got up and went to the kitchen, coming back with a small bag of ice wrapped in a dry wash rag. 

“Here, it’s not much but it will help.” He lifted the other’s pant leg up a bit to reveal that there was blood trickling down his leg into his shoes. “Y-You’re bleeding…”

Armin inwardly smirked, but outwardly he wiped his face with his sleeve. “ I’m sorry…”

“No, don’t be…” He wet the cloth he had with some water from the glasses on the table and wiped off the sticky red liquid, pressing down on the cut that caused it gently to stem the flow.

Armin squirmed a bit. “It hurts…”

“I know. But this will help.” He took it off and put the ice against the other’s leg. He took a closer look at the other’s legs, slowing trailing up to his hands and his face. Armin had so many scars, not so many near the top but going down there were tons of them. “You know…” He brought up slowly. “If you’re being treated poorly you should tell someone…”

The blonde tensed a little bit. “I’ll be fine, I always end up okay…”

 

Eren sat against one of the stall doors, arms crossed over his knees. He really didn’t mean to do it but it would feel so awkward going out there now, after it was already done. But one thing Eren really wanted to work on, ever since he saw a woman on the television grab a gun from her potential murderer and chase him away, is that he wanted that kind of courage. With that thought, he stood up and walked out to leave.

 

Marco and Armin and, well, the entire restaurant, watched as he came out, quickly losing the confidence he had but kept going anyway because he isn’t one to stop halfway through. It was definitely embarrassing.

Marco stood up from his kneeling position in front of Armin and cleared his throat, moving out of the way for Eren to sit back down. “Is everything okay sir?” He turned to Eren, who looked upset that he was here.

“No, please leave so I can have some time alone with Armin.” He was pissed at Marco, but not for the reasons that Marco thought.

“Oh… well… can I get you two anything while I’m here, or…”

“No, we’re fine.” He even sounded irritated this time. 

“Alright then… just let me know if you need anything.” He said cautiously, giving a concerned look to Armin before walking away.

 

They finished their date in almost total silence. Being a friend of Armin’s, in Marco’s considered opinion, meant that he should try to help keep him safe in any circumstance, including the green-eyed brown haired monstrosity sitting across from him. He grabbed their bill and quickly scribbled something down onto it. Armin, noticing this, said:

“I’ll take care of the check okay? As my way of apologizing.”

Eren nodded.

Marco walked over to his table and slipped the piece of paper to Armin. “Thanks for coming in.”

Armin flipped the bill over. It read “Call me if you need me. Your tab’s taken care of,” with the other’s phone number scribbled hastily on the back of it. Everything was going exactly how Armin wanted it to.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets intense~ No spoilers up here so don't worry about reading this. I'm excited to start revealing the major parts of this story, so here's more of my story to speculate with~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh guys you don’t know how excited I am to have so many kudos(s)! To be honest I was excited when I only had two kudos on it, but over 80 kudos?! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love each and every one of you and if I could I would hug you all, but since I can’t I guess I’ll thank you with another chapter. Please let me know what you like, what you don’t like, what I could improve on, and etc etc. OH AND BY THE WAY THIS PART IS IMPORTANT: Are the pieces of this story fitting together alright? Because I swear to god it ‘s somewhat confusing for me to write because I never remember where I left off and there’s no real goal of this story either… :) I love to hear from you guys! Anyway, enjoy this chapter :)

“So are we going to your place or mine?” Eren got in the back of Mikasa’s car and Armin followed.

“I’m just going to go home.” Funny, he thought, about how he referred to his dorm as his home. It honestly wasn’t any different than his home life: His parents were never around, and when they were, they just slept, exactly like his roommate Connie. In a way it made perfect sense.

Eren sighed. “I really am sorry you know.”

“Yeah I know.”

Mikasa stayed silent in the driver’s seat. She really had nothing to do with this. But in her own irritating way, she said “Why don’t you come over and watch a movie with us?”

Eren didn’t really want to: Armin was clearly upset and needed some alone-time.

“Sounds good.” He looked over at Eren. He could see every thought of Eren’s scrolling across his face. Right now, it was a mixture of confusion and acceptance.

“What kind of movies do you like?” Eren spoke, and he casually put his arm around the blonde, not even bothering to hide it. If they were going to hang out, they might as well get used to it.

“Horror. Humor. Romance. Action. Drama. Pretty much anything with a great storyline.” He nuzzled into Eren’s side. It would be better if he made it seem like he liked it, although the thought of Eren touching him at all made his skin crawl.

“How about Frozen?” Mikasa asked.

“Oh God no, I would kill you first.” Armin, along with the majority of the populous, hated that movie with a white-hot hatred. “There were so many plot holes it might as well have been Swiss cheese…”

Eren chuckled. Mikasa just frowned.

“What about… Hook?” Eren suggested. Hook was a popular Peter Pan movie featuring one of his favorite actors, Robin Williams. In his considered opinion, it was put together very well.

Armin smiled. “I love that movie.”

\---

“Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom…” Armin stood up. They were about halfway through the movie, and Armin needed to pee.

“Yeah, just down the hall.” Eren smiled and pointed out the direction.

“Thanks.” He skipped down the hall and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

_***Flashback***_

_“I love this part…” Eren put his arm around Armin again, who both leaned forward to get close to the television._

_“Oh what a line!” He smiled, turning to Eren, who went to kiss his cheek but got his lips instead. Armin sat in complete shock, and somewhat repulsed, but… his lips were just so soft…_

_***Flashback***_

Armin scrubbed violently at his mouth, unable to remove the feeling of the other’s disgustingly sweet kiss. It felt so good, god how he hated that fact. It was the most confused Armin had ever felt in his life, he figured.

He coughed out the excess water from his mouth and grabbed a hand towel from the rack. Maybe, he though, he could use this feeling to his advantage as well. He wiped his mouth off and shook his head, setting the towel in what appeared to be a laundry bin and peered out of the bathroom door. “Eren I need help…” He called softly.

Eren got up from his spot and excused himself from Mikasa’s presence to go see what the little blonde boy needed. He gave Armin a confused look, but Armin just motioned for him to come into the bathroom with him. Eren of course thought it was slightly inappropriate to be alone in a small space with someone he was attracted to, but digressed and walked in anyway, closing the door behind him.

“Are you okay?” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

He shook his head. “I’m… confused.” He admitted.

“About what?”

Armin swallowed hard. “This.” He cupped the brunette’s face in his hands and kissed him again, hating it; oh how he loved to hate it. It chilled him to his core but for some reason unbeknownst to him he needed more. Eren was reluctant to kiss back at first; the kiss he gave him was completely accidental. But after a moment or two he melted into it as easily as Armin had. He wrapped his arms around the blonde, one hand in his hair, the other around his waist. He felt the younger male’s hands fall from his face as he brought both arms around his neck, holding on as if his life depended on it.

Armin was officially lost. Did he like it? Did he hate it? Did it feel good or was his mind playing tricks on him? He visibly shook slightly, his body refusing to let him understand any of what he was feeling. He felt his arms go limp and fall to his sides, the only thing keeping him on his feet was the strong support of the brunette above him. Their lips had parted now, and Eren looked concerned through his blurred vision. “Armin?!” He felt himself slipping away, the confusion dispersing, into the darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Drama scene! I’m so happy to see so many people enjoying my work~ This story almost has as many likes on it as my number one fic! I love you all my freaky lil darlings, I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters.

Armin blinked, the first thing to hit his eyes being the bright glow of the flashlight a paramedic held over his head. “Wh-“ He lifted his arm weakly to shade his eyes only to have the first paramedic put it back down to his side. 

“Keep your eyes open, hun, we don’t need to lose you again.” She moved the light between both of his eyes before putting it back. “Alright, you’ll be fine.”

Armin blinked in confusion.

“Armin!” Eren hovered over him. He just groaned in response.

“I’m so glad you’re alright…” He touched his cheek gently, causing little goose bumps to form on Armin’s arms. “I was so scared…”

“What…” Armin still couldn’t form the words “What happened?”

“Oh… okay I know. Well, we were in the bathroom,” he blushed, not wanting to say in front of the paramedics that they were making out.

The first paramedic waved her hand in understanding. “We see this sort of thing all the time. Most of the time however, it’s broken limbs, not a heated session. You see, when you break a limb, and the bone starts to slide, your body doesn’t know what to do about it. So your natural response is to black out. The same thing happened here. Your body didn’t understand what was happening and therefore you passed out.”

“O-Oh…” He sat up with the help of Eren’s hand on his back.

“Thanks so much…” Eren said to the doctors, as they packed up their stuff to leave.

It was now that Armin started to remember what happened. He was now on the couch, but he had passed out in the bathroom with Eren holding him. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the residual blurriness away. He was disheveled, his hair a mess and his face bright red yet seemingly pale at the same time. 

“How are you feeling?” He held the other close.

“I’m… fine… What time is it?” Armin brushed his bangs out of his face. He didn’t anticipate this. He needed more information to work off of. 

“It’s a little after midnight…” Eren glanced down at his wristwatch. “You were out for a while there…”

Armin, although his mind was muddled slightly, concluded that this would fit right into his plan.

“I think I’m going to go home…” He got up, staggering slightly. 

Eren helped him. “Are you sure? You can sleep here the night if you need to…” 

“I’m sure. I’ll call a cab, I’m pretty sure they work all night…” Armin pulled out his phone and hit his second speed dial. Since he couldn’t drive himself, he had it available at all times.

“O-Okay…” He let go of Armin, who had himself held up now. “Here.” He took Armin’s free arm and scribbled his number down. “If you need anything at all, make sure you call me, okay?” He was genuinely concerned for the blonde.

Armin shook his head. “I’ll be fine.” He put the phone up to his ear. 

“Sasha’s taxi service.” He heard the bouncy feminine voice on the other end. 

“Oh, hey, I need a ride.”

“Who doesn’t sweetpea?” She giggled.

“Well… yeah.” He smiled though she couldn’t see it. “I need picked up from…” He looked at Eren who made little numbers on his hands.“5001 E. Finkle RD.”

“Of course, I’ll be right there.” Sasha, the owner and driver, spoke softly.

“Thanks.” He hung up. He liked Sasha’s attitude towards everything. “I guess I’ll go now.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Mikasa offered.

 

Armin hopped in the backseat of the taxi, watching as Mikasa walked back up the stairs to the dorm house.

“Where you heading kiddo?” She knew him well.

“Rusty’s Tavern if you would.” He nestled in the back quietly.

“Aren’t you a little young to drink?” Sasha looked genuinely concerned. Armin looked like he’d just survived an accident, much less.

“I’m not going there to drink. I promised a friend I’d meet him there though.”

Sasha didn’t question it. She knew Armin well enough to never question it.

 

“Don’t worry about the cab fare. “ Sasha smiled as she pulled up in front of the bar. Armin looked like he was dragged through a propeller. 

“Thanks.” He got out and walked up to the doors as Sasha drove away. His manipulative attitude paid off everywhere he went. Everyone felt as though they had owed him something, and he definitely took advantage of it.

The receipt from Marco was still crumbled up in his pocket. He pulled it out and then pulled out his phone, saving the number under “Marco~<3”. The number dialed.

“Hello?” A tired and confused Marco answered the other end.

“Please help me.” Armin mustered up the shakiest voice coupled with the realest tears that he could.

“Armin? What’s going on? Are you okay?” The other was sitting up in bed, clearly alert and able to wake up and move because of it.

“Please just help me.” He wiped his face, the cold chilling the tears to his face.

“Okay, okay… where are you?” 

He heard the ruffle of fabric on the other end.

“Um… Rusty’s Tavern…”

Marco wasn’t surprised; even if he was, Armin wouldn’t have been able to see his face.

“Okay, I’m on my way. Just don’t go anywhere.” With that, freckled jesus hung up to get on some clothes.

 

Armin leaned against the wall and shivered. He wasn’t inherently cold, but his fingers were numb and his face pale and pink. A vehicle parked in front of him, bright blue, and out popped Marco, who was lively with concern.

“Armin!” He ran up to the other, slamming his door shut behind him. The first thing he noticed was the messy hair and trembling disposition. He grabbed the other’s arms gently and looked him over to make sure he was okay. “What happened?”

The little blonde didn’t respond. He was trying to pull himself together.

Marco took off his jacket and put it around the other. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong hun…” He cupped the other’s cheeks. “Come on, it’s cold out here.” He lead him to the passenger side of his vehicle. “Let’s go to my place and talk.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOT: ... sorry not sorry :D

Marco is too nice for his own good, Armin thought as he sat snuggled up in the freckled boy’s jacket. It was a shame, since being a good person in this world will get you screwed over.

Armin sat nestled on a newly upholstered couch, breathing in the sweet aroma of lavender and pomegranate. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have bother you so late…” He looked at the other.

“It’s fine, don’t worry alright?” Marco made hot chocolate that smelled especially good with his strawberry-scented hair, bringing two cups in and setting them down on the table. “What happened?”

“Well… Eren…” He paused, laying on the hesitation a little too thickly.

“Say no more, I know.” Marco sat next to him and ran the back of his fingers down the other’s short blonde locks. “It’s obvious what happened.” He let his hand rearrange the strands of his hair to a less messy guise. “He forced you to, didn’t he?” His hand now rested on his cheek, the thumb caressing his lip slightly.

Armin nodded. “I-I need a bath…” He set his hands in his lap.

“I know.” He stood up, and Armin followed. “The bathroom is down the hall. You can stay here the night if you want, I have an empty guest room…” 

Armin hadn’t noticed before that Marco had an actual home. He had come from a fairly rich family who could afford to give him his own place while he was looking for work or pursuing an education. It wasn’t the biggest house in the world, but it was suitable for a small family. It was hard to believe he lived here alone.

“Thanks…” Armin pulled off the other’s jacket and gave it back. “I don’t have any extra-“

“Sh.” Marco put his hand up, one finger to the other’s lips. “Don’t worry about it, alright? I promise you everything will be taken care of.”

 

Armin undressed himself nervously. Yes, he had Marco right where he wanted him, but all the years of torment and loneliness in the form of scars laying on his body was probably laying it on a little too thickly. Marco tried not to stare as he started the water, but it really was a sight to behold. “Here, feel this to make sure it’s not too hot.” Marco moved over a bit to let Armin dip his hand in the water. “I’ll be right back.” He got up and stepped out.

Armin swished the water around a little. His fingers were numb so it stung slightly, but it felt nice. His shirt was already folded up on the sink and his pants and boxers followed. He didn’t know where Marco went, but he figured it was good that he left, so he could finish undressing in private and get in the tub before he came back. The tub was slippery with water when he stepped in and sat down. The water embraced him with a warm hug and the bubbles smelled of vanilla. It made him wonder if Marco was really a girl underneath it all. If that were the case, the entire plan would probably fall apart.

Marco came back in with a set of clean clothes. “Here, for when you’re done.” He then proceeded to roll up his sleeves. “What kind of fragrance do you like?” Yeah, he definitely sounded like a girl sometimes with the way he worded his sentences. 

“Um… I like pretty much everything…” Armin sunk low in the tub. “Do you have vanilla to match the bubble bath mix?”

“Of course.” Marco smiled and opened the cabinet under the sink. There was a whole basket underneath dedicated to body washes, shampoos, conditioners, and even perfumes and deodorant. “I’m sorry if this is strange, having so many girly things.” He blushed, pulling out only the vanilla things. “I prefer these over what they offer for men.” Yep. Definitely not a girl.

“Me too, actually. I wasn’t going to say anything, I thought they might belong to your girlfriend or something.” Armin said cautiously, trying to get more information out of the other than Marco would know.

“I live alone. And honestly I’m not really into girls. It’s not that I don’t like them…” He set the bottles on the edge of the tub. “I just really don’t know. I think I would go either way, it just depends on whether I find the right person or not.”

“I see.” Yep. Gay as hell, Armin thought. But he wouldn’t admit it to himself. “I love Eren but…”

Marco knew what he was thinking. “I know, I know. I’ve been through something like that before.” He leaned over and quickly pecked Armin on the cheek. “Things will get better I promise.” Then he got up and left without saying another word.

Armin let out a sigh of relief. Marco really was just too nice.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> //Sooooo sorry it's been so long. One update before thanksgiving, sorry if it sucks

Armin’s phone went off the entire time he was taking a bath, vibrating with text messages from god knows who, and he wasn’t about to pick it up. Not that he didn’t want to see what the texts said: he didn’t want to ruin his phone with wet hands by accident. The water was warm and inviting, and he wanted to enjoy it. The scent of vanilla was strong yet subtle, and very noticeably it made the entirety of the room a more pleasant atmosphere.

He leaned back and relaxed, after washing himself thoroughly. He was so relaxed he…

“Armin? Come on kiddo, wake up.” He opened his eyes to see Marco holding him up in the water. “It’s dangerous to fall asleep in a full bathtub you know.” The little blonde didn’t really understand what happened, what was happening, or why he fell asleep in the first place, but he found himself tiredly, unconsciously moving along with Freckled Jesus, letting the other get him on his feet and dry him off. His eyes were still heavy with sleep; Marco could tell with one glance. 

There weren’t any mind games going on now, and honestly there was no reason why there should be.

Marco helped him pull on some clothes suited for sleeping, and once he was fully dried and clothes, the blonde found himself being lifted up in a sort of princess/newlywed fashion. He held onto Marco with his kip-riddled grasp that wasn’t strong enough to do anything and let him carry him out of the bathroom down the hall to the guest room.

\---

When Armin woke up the next day, late afternoon, he assumed he fell asleep in the other’s arms because he didn’t even remember making it to the bedroom, or even out of the bathroom. He sat up, shifting what felt like ten pounds of blankets off himself, and feeling that he was wrapped up in it, he fell off onto the floor.

On the bright side, his hair still smelled nice.

He tried to find his way out of the blankets but somehow made it worse than it was to start with. Marco however heard the thud and came to the rescue.

“Hey, be careful…” Marco undid the knot that was Armin and the blanket.

“Thanks…” Armin sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. “What time is it?”

“Almost one…” He said, helping the other stand up. “I would’ve woken you up for school, but… after everything, it didn’t seem okay to send you off.”

“Ah… Wait…” Armin was confused on how he knew he was a student. 

Marco knew this right away what he was thinking. “Sorry, but I went to wash your clothes and I had to pull everything out of the pockets to keep them from getting ruined. Your library card fell out of your wallet.”

“Oh.” He wasn’t surprised, but he definitely didn’t expect it.

“I called them and let them know what was going on… why you wouldn’t be there…”

“What did you tell them?”

“I said that you were feeling ill… It really wasn’t anything.” Marco rubbed the back of his head. “I can drive you home whenever you’re ready.”

Armin nodded. “Marco?”

“Hmm?”

He looked down. “Can I… Can I just stay here for a couple days?”

Marco smiled lightly. “Of course.”

Armin didn’t even remember to keep with the plan.


	10. Author's Note

Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. Just want to let you guys know I haven't forgotten about this fic.

But I'm curious about what you guys think; I had a christmas update that I didn't have the time to post, so do you guys think I should still post it or should I just skip ahead to afterwards? Either way I'm fine with it, I'm just not sure whether I should do it since it's after christmas... oh well. Let me know what you think in the comments! Thanks and have a great week :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama bomb!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //A/N: Sorry I’ve been gone, I’ve had one of those months where everything just kind of goes downhill… Oh well. I’m alive and well, and so on and so forth. Anyway I talked about my Christmas update that I didn’t get to post so… I’m sorry it’s so late but I hope you guys will love it anyway ☺

Eren paced nervously. Armin didn’t once answer his phone, and he was beginning to worry about him. Was he sick? Did someone kidnap him? Or was he just mad? He didn’t think the other was mad but it was a very real possibility, given what had happened before. 

The answering machine on the other end picked up. “Oh, hey Armin please call me when you get this… I’m really worried. I love you… I love you--” 

Mikasa took the phone from him and threw it out the window.

“What the fUCK MIKASA?!” He looked out the window to where she had thrown the phone into the snow. 

“You’re starting to sound desperate. It’s annoying.” She walked away as if nothing happened. “Maybe you should focus on your Christmas shopping. You’ve got tons of people to buy for.” 

Eren sighed. “I hate Christmas.”

He didn’t inherently hate the season. It was more of a fact that it was his God-given job to buy every last person he knew something that cost almost twenty dollars a piece. And for college students, that’s a lot to be spending on one person. But this year he supposed it would be a good way to get Armin a gift without it being so weird. 

“Come on Eren. It should be easy this year,” Mikasa threw on her scarf and jacket, “We’ll make it quick.”

Eren sighed. “Answer me this first: What do you get for someone you love that you didn’t meet that long ago but you feel like you belong with them?”

“Aspirin. I’m sure that’s what Armin wants after you gave him a headache from all those calls.” She sighed sarcastically and put a green beanie hat on the other. “Now hurry up.”

 

Armin stayed in bed most of the time he was with Marco, and Marco was very attentive, almost to the point where it seemed like he just wanted to be in the room with the other with no other purpose but to be with him. Armin didn’t mind it. He actually really liked the attention. He had long since turned his phone off, not really wanting to be distracted by any calls or texts he may have received. So in that sense Eren was screwed. 

Marco came in with two Shirley temples. They were great. It was pretty much just sprite with a lot of cherry in it though. Very sugary.

Armin stayed laid down as Marco put one in his hand. “Careful,” he smiled and sat on the bed next to him.

“Thank you,” Armin smiled and sat up. “You really don’t have to do this for me though…”

“I want to though. I like taking care of my friends.” He swirled his glass around a little.

Armin leaned against the other and pulled his arm over his shoulder. He was extremely warm and soothing; almost inhuman. And Marco didn’t mind. He seemed lonely but at the same time not even looking for friends. Distant but close. “Marco, can I be honest with you?” 

He nodded. “Of course, you can tell me anything.” 

I want to make him pay. I want you to be with me so that the other will get jealous. I want him to suffer, please just give me what I want. “I… I-I really…” He couldn’t get the words out. “I…” Still, it didn’t come out. He didn’t want Marco involved anymore. He just wanted Marco to…

“I know…” Marco turned a light shade of pink and looked down at his glass. “I can’t though. You… you’re in a very vulnerable place right now. Maybe after all this blows over and you decide that you still feel the way you do then… then we can.”

Never before in his life had Armin felt so needy. He was always warned about getting emotionally involved in his affairs, that it would only end with him getting hurt. But he wasn’t hurt. It wasn’t in the least bit painful. Maybe it was a good thing. But… he wanted him now. He reached up to the other’s face and bit his lip while looking at the other’s. The air was tense around them and even Marco, despite saying that he wasn’t willing to take advantage of a helpless person even he felt himself wanting the same thing. It was too much. Marco had filled the space between the two and locked lips with the other, dropping his drink on the floor and using his now freed hand to cup the other’s face. Armin wrapped his arms around the other’s neck and fell back, pulling the other down to the bed with him. Marco had instinctively got up on the other, on his knees leaning over the other, one of his arms around his back and the other in his hair, feeling the soft blonde locks. But pulled away from the other and looked away.

“Armin I can’t—“ He wanted to but he didn’t want to hurt the other.

“Please Marco. I… I need you.” He put his hands on Marco’s cheeks and pulled him back into another kiss. Marco couldn’t say no to him.

 

//Let’s take a little break here because I'm not going into details in this fic :) //

 

Eren had finally finished shopping, and was now wrapping. Well, Mikasa was wrapping. He was sitting back drinking a cherry coke and trying to forget his horrible present wrapping experience from the years before.

Mikasa pulled a small box out of one of the bags filled with random things. It looked to be a bracelet box. “Who’s this for?”

Eren saw what it was and quickly snatched it away from her. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about this one.” He shoved it into his pocket quickly.

Mikasa frowned but wasn’t going to question it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //A/N: I REGRET NOTHING.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Sorry it's so short but I plan on having the next one nice and long~ Just for viewing pleasure here. It's just a prelude to the next one so consider this to be a time-filling insert that actually means something to the story.

Armin didn’t mind getting home late. He had spent the better part of a week at Marco’s place, and he honestly didn’t want to leave, but he had to. He had almost completely forgotten about Eren, and that wasn’t good. He needed to stay close to him for his plan to work, his plan that he had only remembered hours before leaving. Marco had been nice enough to drive him back to his home, planting a soft, seemingly disappointed goodbye kiss, and had left. 

He pulled off his clothes, except for his boxers, and lied down on the couch in front of the television, turning it on and putting it on a rerun of this show he’d been watching for the past couple months. It was soothing to him, with his fear of being alone, to have the TV on, because it provided enough sound and light to give life to the room while he relaxed himself. He truly was terrified of being alone. He couldn’t sleep without the calming time spent watching TV. He tried to once, but he ended up pulling an all-nighter trying to not question his own existence.

The blankness of his mind disappeared when he heard his phone vibrate a few times. The blonde turned it on and flipped his messages open, and of course there were two messages, one from Eren and one from Marco. Marco’s read:

“The past few days were amazing, you’re amazing, I really hope we can get together again soon :) “

And Eren’s said:

“Are you free sometime this week? I’d really like to meet up with you again. I have a surprise I’ve been dying to show you.”

Armin smirked. “Good.” He texted back to Marco, telling him that he would love to any time he wanted to. And as for Eren’s text back…

“Why not come over now? I’m available all day today.”

***

On the other end, once Eren received that text, he was throwing on mix-matched clothes and whatever he needed to cover himself up and ended up tripping and falling onto Mikasa. Then he sat up. “Mikasa hurry up! I need a ride to Armin’s!” He got up, still trying to fix himself up.

“Okay. You might want to slow down and put on clothes that might actually make sense.” She said calmly and coolly as always, sitting up and fixing her scarf over her nose.

Eren looked down at himself and gaped at the sight. “SHIT.” He then ran to the bathroom of their dorm. “I NEED TO LOOK MY BEST.”

***

Armin had other ideas in mind for when Eren came. Eren was a dog: He didn’t even need to text Armin back for the manipulative blonde to know he would come. So first thing’s first: He had to shower and get the scent of his freckled angel off of him. Then all he had to do was put on some skimpy clothes and wait. All it was going to be was a waiting game.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little something to hold you guys over before I do the smut chapter... thanks for being so patient :)

Eren sat in the seat next to Mikasa as she drove him to the address of the young blonde. He was clearly excited, as opposed to Mikasa, who thought he was just wasting his time with that boy when he had a perfectly good china doll to play with. She was referring to herself, so it’s not racist… is it?

Anyway, Eren had a small box in his hand, the one Mikasa tried to open previously only to have Eren flip out. It looked like it was wrapped by a five year old who didn’t know how to wrap, and then rewrapped by Mikasa because Eren’s the five year old who wrapped it so horribly and he didn’t want Armin to see how badly he sucked at it. Along with his cell phone, that was the only thing he had with him. 

He wasn’t paying attention to the time or how long it would be until they got there, as evidenced by him when he found himself outside of the car, standing in the snow on the porch. Mikasa rang the bell and walked back to the vehicle. The trail she followed showed Eren that he was dragged a bit, along with the snow in his shoes and the soreness of his outer arms. She drove off, and Eren watched until the door to his side had opened and a young blonde male had stolen his attention. Armin was sexy in his own… way. For a lack of better words. He wore a pair of shorts that just barely covered his rear end, but was still barely visible under the oversized, ugly, cherry-red Christmas sweater. He wore these thigh-high black socks and had an ankle bracelet on one leg, and his hair was pulled back into the cutest tiny ponytail ever. He looked comfortable, as far as dressing like a college girl went.

“Oh good, you came.” Armin opened the door wider to let Eren inside. His place was nice. There was a lot of books stacked everywhere in the room, and it smelled like freshly laundered clothing, with a rich citrus and coconut smell. He didn’t think those two scents really went together, but he didn’t really care. It just smelled clean, and he loved it. 

“I’m sorry we haven’t really been able to talk…” Eren started as Armin sat down on the couch, the television on. He patted the seat next to him and Eren sat. “I’ve really been trying to, though. Have you—“ 

Armin put two skinny fingers to the other’s lips. “Shh. Don’t explain it, okay? I get it.” Besides, explaining it would just piss Armin off more than he already was at the other. 

“Oh…” Eren looked away, then looked back. “Oh, I brought something for you…” He hid the box in his hands. “You have to close your eyes and put your hands out though.”

“Okay…” Armin wasn’t really expecting anything from the other, to be perfectly honest. He closed his eyes and put his hands out, knowing Eren would be too much of a pussy to do something perverted, like… putting his dick in the other’s hands? But Eren didn’t move much, and Armin opened his eyes to see a small, white and gold wrapped box in his hands. It looked nice.

“Open it.” Eren smiled, cuddling up to Armin as he eyed the box. The tag simply said “For Armin” in sloppy yet very neat and focused writing.. Simple, yet elegant.

He carefully picked at the wrapping and tore it off, then opened the box. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. It had been a jewelry box that contained a necklace. The necklace was a silver chain with a small bottle charm that had a red jewel on the inside of it. It was pretty. It might have been cheap and a little taboo, but it was pretty. Armin, though he hated to admit it, loved it.

“I don’t… understand…” He said softly, pulling it out. He let Eren put it around his neck.

“It’s my heart…” Eren undid the clip and moved it around Armin’s neck. It wasn’t really, but Eren knew Armin would understand. He did the clip in the back and Armin put the bottle between two fingers and looked closer at the jewel in the bottle. It was, in fact, a ruby shaped like a heart. Armin’s emotions were mixing themselves to the point where he wanted to cry. He really couldn’t think about anything after that.

“I love it…” He pushed himself into the brunette’s lap and tucked his face into the other’s shirt, trying not to cry about it. He didn’t succeed very much in not crying.

Eren wrapped his arms around him. “I love you, you know…” He whispered and smiled.

Armin nodded and looked up at the other. He didn’t know what he was thinking or feeling at the moment, but he had a feeling that it might be…

Eren cupped his cheek and kissed him gently. Armin whimpered slightly. He tasted like blackberry nectar, and it made him shiver. Maybe going all the way with him wouldn’t be too bad…


	14. Author's Note

//Hello everybody! Once again I'm back from the summer slump and hope to be writing for all of you again!

This will be a hectic school year for me, so I may not be able to keep you all up to date on my life and my stories. I will try my hardest though.

This is a big year for me. I have three online classes on top of seven day classes and still have to run the anime club through graduation. It's a mess.

But thanks for all the love and support and I plan on keeping you guys updated to the best of my abilities. I know you guys like this story and have been waiting a long time but please wait a little longer and I'll have new chapters done soon! Love you all, Ren//


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